. >> russian president vladimir putin has made a direct, personal appeal to the american people. it was an op-ed piece published in the "new york times." in the article, he warns that a u.s. military strike against syria could unleash a new wave of terrorism. he says millions of people see the u.s. not as a model of democracy but as an instrument of brute force. also speaking not long ago, the russian foreign minister, sergey lavrov called the russian plan a chance for peace in syria that the world must not let pass. russia is playing a key role in this new negotiation over syria and its chemical weapons. let's go to geneva, where the meeting will begin later today between the u.s. secretary of state and the russian foreign minister. our correspondent has more. what would it take to dismantle syria's chemical weapons if a deal is reached? >> it is a very complex process and very technical and very costly. the question is, if the weapons are considered old or leaking, that could be very dangerous to transport them to other locations. the ideal situation would be to destroy them in